International Box Office: ‘Fast Five’ sets Universal record with US$86.6M
Universal Studios Fast Five roared to the Top of the foreign theatrical circuit’s box office chart on the weekend, grossing US$86.6M from 6,979 locations; for a per-screen average of more than US$12,000 in 58 overseas territories.
Opening in 44 new markets and almost doubling its $45.9 million gross from the pastr week, Fast Five’s take was described by Universal as the biggest International weekend in the Company’s history, besting the previous weekend record, US$84.3M grossed by Y 2005’s King Kong update.
Fast Five, has been playing overseas for three weeks no, and has taken US$184.8M offshore, lifting its Worldwide total to date to US$324.7M.
The film’s Mexico opening, US$8.6M from 500 spots, was a market record for a Universal title. In Brazil, Fast Five was # 1 with US$5M from 310 locations.
Market opening records for Universal were also set in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Uruguay. Fast Five is also # 1 in Italy, US$7.4 million at 420 spots, and in France US$8.8M from 500 sites.
The 5th sequel in the Turbo-charged Car action franchise, directed by Justin Lin and co-Starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Paul Walker, has 5 territories yet to play with 3 opening this week including China.
The Top foreign grosser in the Action Car franchise is Y 2009’s Fast & Furious, drawing US$208M offshore.
Paramount’s release of Marvel Entertainment’s Thor, last weekend # 1 title on the foreign circuit, finished 2nd this time with $46 million drawn from 12,476 locations in 60 offshore markets. That was a about a 50% drop from the $87 million gross marked in the 1st round.
Director Kenneth Branagh’s 3-D interpretation of a Stan Lee comic book about an otherworldly Warrior defending Planet Earth opened in 4 markets, the biggest was China where “preliminary indications” put the debut gross at $2.3 million from the film’s 1-day Sunday opening, said Paramount.
In 11 days, Thor has grossed $176 million offshore.
Rio, 20th Century Fox’s family-oriented animation title, finished # 3 on the weekend with $16.2 million from from 8,706 screens in 67 markets, raising the film’s take after a month of overseas playtime to $292.3 million.
Opening in 23 markets on the weekend, Fox’s Water for Elephants, the Depression-era drama costarring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, grossed $11.1 million from 3,764 screens in 45 markets for an offshore take of $21.3 million. Water finished # 4 overall.
Sony opened Priest, a SYFY thriller in 3-D co-starring Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet, at 1,460 sites in 4 markets for a weekend take of $5.5 million. The biggest debut was Russia, where the take was $2.9 million from some 700 locations. Priest finished # 5 on the weekend.
Summit International’s Source Code opened # 2 in South Korea, and grossed an estimated $4.3 on the weekend overall from 1,350 screens in 39 markets. The thriller starring Jake Gyllenhall has a foreign take of $40.8 million.
Warner’s period Werewolf fantasy Red Riding Hood pushed its foreign gross total to $50 million thanks to a $2.6 million weekend at some 2,400 screens in 44 markets. Its Arthur update starring Russell Brand, drew $2.3 million from 1,100 screens in 17 markets for an international take of 12.7 million.
Other International takes: Sony’s Just Go With It, $109.8 million; Warner’s Hall Pass, $36.4 million; Universal’s Hanna, $1.9 million in opener in the U.K. at 413 sites; Fox’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, $6.6 million; Universal’s Paul, $50.4 million; Fox’s Gulliver’s Travels, $194 million; and Universal’s Hop, $61.9 million.
